Kane Williamson Doubtful For Edgbaston Test Due To Elbow Injury; Trent Boult Likely To Return

In a big blow to the New Zealand side, captain Kane Williamson might miss out on the second Test against England of the ongoing series, in Edgbaston starting June 10 (Thursday).

Kane Williamson is under an injury scare of his left elbow niggle, which is still being monitored. The Kiwi skipper has been dealing with his elbow issue for a few months now. He had earlier been ruled out of the ODI series against Bangladesh at home and subsequently missed a few matches of IPL 2021.

Gary Stead, the New Zealand head coach, said that the management will take the final call on Kane Williamson’s fitness for the second Test on Wednesday. However, with an eye on the World Test Championship final against India, which begins on June 18 in Southampton, he is likely to be rested. In that case, left-handed opener Tom Latham will lead the side.

“His [Williamson’s] elbow is still niggling him a wee bit. We’ve had some more treatment on that and we just want to make sure it’s the best thing for him, playing in this match versus taking a bit more time to be ready and training the way he needs to train,” Gary Stead said.

Trent Boult available for selection for the second Test, Mitchell Santner ruled out due to a finger injury

Mitchell Santner has been ruled out from the second Test with a finger injury. Santner had suffered a cut to his spinning finger during the intra-squad match ahead of the first Test; he then aggravated it at Lord’s. The spinner went wicketless in the first Test; the visitors have Ajaz Patel and Rachin Ravindra as other spin-bowling options.

Trent Boult, however, will boost the bowling attack as other pacers may be rested. After the IPL was suspended, Boult opted to return home to spend time with his family in Mount Maunganui instead of flying straight to the UK along with the rest of the contingent.

Boult then re-joined the squad, and with the less strict updated quarantine protocols in England he was allowed to train immediately after arriving. Gary Stead all but c0nfirmed the pacer’s selection for the Edgbaston Test.

“Trent’s back and available to be selected and it’s likely we’ll play him in this game as well. It’s good news for us. Things did change when he got here or from the information we had initially. So, think it’s the best thing for Trent to get out there, get the Dukes ball in his hand and show us what he’s capable of,” the coach stated.

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